NEW STORIES

NEWSTORIES PROVIDES BOTH CONSULTING SERVICES AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP PARTICIPANTS GAIN CLARITY ABOUT THE NATURE OF THESE TIMES, AND HOW THEY AND THEIR SYSTEMS CAN REORGANIZE TO ADDRESS THE UNPRECEDENTED TURBULENCE IN WHICH WE ARE LIVING. WITH THAT CLARITY IN MIND, WE SUPPORT THEM TO GROW AND IMPROVE THE LEADERSHIP OF THEIR ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WRITE AND PUBLISH ON THESE TOPICS. SPECIFIC PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS AREA: 1.NEWSTORIES ENTERED INTO A THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MISSOURI FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH TO HELP THEM CO-CREATE A 20-YEAR FOOD JUSTICE INITIATIVE IN MISSOURI. WITH THE FOUNDATION, WE ARE DEVELOPING AN APPROACH FOR THE INITIATIVE BASED ON A SYNTHESIS OF OUR WORK WITH PRINCIPLES FOCUSED DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION AND OUR MODEL FOR THE SPIRAL OF CO-CREATING. WE BELIEVE THIS WORK WILL PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR OTHERS TACKLING LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS CHANGE. 2.WE ENTERED INTO A SOFT LAUNCH OF TWO NEW INITIATIVES - TRANSFORMATIVE KINSHIP CIRCLES AND TRANSFORM MEDIA. TRANSFORMATIVE KINSHIP CIRCLES RECOGNIZE THAT OUR BEST AND MOST IMPORTANT WORK IS DONE THROUGH DEEP PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. OUR INTENT IS TO INVITE PEOPLE INTO TWO KINSHIP CIRCLES IN 2024. TRANSFORM MEDIA IS A NEW LEARNING AND PUBLISHING PLATFORM FEATURING THE WORK OF PRACTITIONERS FOCUSED ON NEW MODELS OF LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY REGENERATION IN THESE TIMES. WE PLAN ON PUBLISHING AT LEAST 2 BOOKS IN 2024, WITH ASSOCIATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES.

BEGINNING IN 2021, WE DEEPENED OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES FACING CLIMATE, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISASTERS- BRINGING A FOCUS ON REGENERATIVE COMMUNITY-BUILDING, WHILE RECOGNIZING THE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF PATRIARCHY, COLONIALISM, AND RACISM. THIS INCLUDED WORK IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BRAZIL, AND EASTERN WASHINGTON. WE BEGAN WORK TO CREATE A COMMUNITY REGENERATION COLLABORATORY. WE ALSO BEGAN TO IMPROVE OUR VIRTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING INITIAL STEPS TO CREATE AN ENTIRELY NEW GREAT TRANSITIONS STORIES WEBSITE AND TO ADOPT SUTRA, A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY-BUILDING PLATFORM. SPECIFIC PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS AREA: 1.NEWSTORIES HAS ALMOST COMPLETED A COMPLETE REMAKE OF OUR GREAT TRANSITIONS STORIES WEBSITE, SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH IN EARLY 2024. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS WEBSITE WILL BE IMMENSELY IMPORTANT AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE LOOK FOR NEW INSPIRATION IN RE-STORYING THEIR LIVES AND NAVIGATING THESE CHALLENGING TIMES. 2.WE HAVE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES AFTER WILDFIRES. WE ARE STILL FOCUSED ON BUILDING A NETWORK OF PEOPLE FROM FIRE-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES -- THIS MAY BE ONE OF OUR FIRST TRANSFORMATIVE KINSHIP CIRCLES. WE ARE INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF THE DISASTERWISE COMMUNITIES NETWORK IN AUSTRALIA AND THEIR FIRE TO FLOURISH EFFORTS AND THERE MAY BE SOME PARTNERSHIPS POSSIBLE THERE. 3.WE HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT "ILLUMINATION" IS KEY TO OUR WORK OF RE-STORYING, AND HAVE HIRED A NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR TO HELP US IN THIS ARENA. IN THE PAST YEAR WE HAVE SHIFTED OUR BRAND AND IDENTITY; WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A WHOLE NEW NEWSTORIES WEBSITE, ALSO TO LAUNCH IN 2024; AND BEGUN TO ENHANCE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY.